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Hsnr  o  *T  Fq, 

49TH  CONGRESS,  \    HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES,  i  REPORT 
2cf  Session.        j  (  No.  4171. 


GOLD  MEDAL  TO  CHARLES  DE  ARNAUD. 


FEBRUARY  '25,  1887.  —  Committed  to  the  Committee  of  the  Whole  House  and  ordered 

to  be  printed. 


~ro£t  Library 

Mr.  CHARLES  O'NEILL,  from  the  Committee  on  the  Library,  submitted 

the  following 

REPORT: 

[To  accompany  H.  Res.  223.] 

The  Committee  on  the  Library,  to  whom  was  referred  the  joint  reso- 
lution granting  a  gold  medal  to  Capt.  Charles  De  Arnaud,  referring  to 
the  accompanying  statement  of  the  attorney  of  Capt.  Charles  De  Arnaud, 
and  the  letters,  recommend  the  adoption  of  the  joint  resolution. 

CHARLES  O'NEILL. 

W.  G.  STAHLNECKEE. 


STATEMENT   OF   CAPT.    CHARLES  DE   ARNAUD,   BY  HIS   ATTORNEY. 

To  the  Home  of  Representatives  : 

As  appears  from  records  on  file  in  the  War  Department,  documents,  telegrams,  &c., 
which  have  been  submitted  to  the  Library  Committee,  Capt.  Charles  De  Arnaud  is 
fifty-three  years  old,  was  born  in  Russia,  educated  in  the  Military  School  of  Engineers, 
and  prior  to  the  war  graduated  an  officer  of  the  Russian  army,  thoroughly  versed  in 
military  tactics  and  sciences;  that  on  his  arrival  in  this  country,  he  was,  on  the  13th 
day  of  May,  1861,  commissioned  a  captain  in  the  Fifth  Missouri  Volunteers  for  three 
months'  service;  that  on  or  about  the  31st  day  of  July,  1861,  when  General  John  C. 
Fremont  assumed  command  of  the  Western  Department,  he  was  recommended  to  him 
by  General  Lovell  N.  Rousseau  and  Judge  Corwin,  of  Cincinnati,  as  a  trustworthy 
officer,  thoroughly  familiar  with  military  sciences,  and  posted  on  the  situation  at  that 
time  of  the  armies  on  both  sides,  and  one  who  could  render  the  country  most  valuable 
services. 

The  situation  in  the  Western  Department  of  the  Union  Army  at  that  time  was  some- 
what critical,  because  the  department  was  practically  without  either  men,  money,  or 
arms.  General  Lyon  was  located  at  Wilson's  Creek  with  about  8,000  men,  far  away 
from  the  base  of  operations,  while  6,000  men  were  at  Saint  Louis,  whose  time  of  en- 
listment had  expired,  and  about  1,500  men  were  at  Cairo  and  Bird's  Point  under  Gen- 
eral Prentiss,  whose  time  had  also  expired,  all  of  whom  were  dissatisfied  in  not  having 
been  paid,  and  were  clamoring  to  be  mustered  out. 

While  the  situation  of  the  Confederate  army  was  as  follows  :  In  the  Northwest  Gen- 
erals McCullough  and  Sterling  Price  were  threaten i us  not  only  Saint  Louis  but  also 
Kansas  and  the  Northwestern  States  with  a  force  of  about  23,000  men,  encouraged  by 
a  promise  from  Governor  Jackson,  of  Missouri,  to  speedily  increase  the  number  to 
100,000  men,  while  the  governor  of  Tennessee  had  already  issued  a  call  for  53,000  men, 
who  rapidly  responded  ;  General  Jeff  Thompson  in  Southeastern  Missouri,  with  about 
4,500  nu-n ;  General  Hardee  at  Pocahontas,  Ark.,  with  between  4,000  and  6,000  men  :  Gen- 
eral Pillow  at  New  Madrid  and  Memphis,  with  about  14,000  men,  were  threatening  not 
only  an  invasion  of  Southern  Illinois,  but  as  well,  in  connection  with  Generals  Price  and 
McCullough  in  the  Northwest,  the  capture  of  Saint  Louis. 

A  statement  of  the  foregoing  facts  was  made  to  General  Fremont  by  De  Arnaud,  and 
General  Fremont  instantly  conceived  and  immediately  began  to  put  into  operation 


2  GOLD  MEDAL  TO  CHARLES  DE  ARNAUD. 

movements  which  sufficed  to  check  and  counteract  these  most  formidable  movements 
of  the  enemy.  General  Fr6rnout  appealed  to  his  troops  for  another  month's  service, 
pledging  his  personal  responsibility  for  their  pay  ;  and  hiring  every  steamer  that  could 
be  secured  regardless  of  price,  rapidly  transported  6,000  troops  from  Saint  Louiy  to 
Cairo,  re-enforcing  it,  and  while  making  other  large  movements  in  order  to  deceive  the 
enemy  as  to  his  real  purposes,  took  possession  of  other  available  strategic  points  ; 
thus  the  enemy  were  not  only  prevented  from  crossing  into  Southern  Illinois,  but 
their  movements  were  for  a  time  arrested,  and  General  Fr6mout  also  gained  much 
needed  time  in  which  to  reorganize  his  army. 

On  General  Fremont's  return  to  Saint  Louis  from  this  expedition  he  sent  for  De 
Arnaud  and  requested  him  to  proceed  upon  confidential  service,  the  nature  of  which 
would  bring  his  military  knowledge  into  requisition  in  preparing  for  immediate  use  a 
true  and  correct  map  of  the  pikes,  roads,  forts,  batteries,  &c.,  in  Kentucky  and  Ten- 
nessee, and  would  require  him  to  ascertain  the  plans  and  probable  movements  of  the 
enemy.  De  Arnaud  at  once  entered)upon  the  expedition,  necessarily  entering  and  re- 
maining within  the  Confederate  lines  in  the  execution  of  his  hazardous  and  laborious 
undertaking.  He  speedily  prepared  the  map  needed,  together  with  maps  of  Fort 
Henry,  on  the  Tennessee  River,  and  FortDonelson,  on  the  Cumberland  River,  then  un- 
der process  of  construction,  by  means  thereof  pointing  out  and  emphasizing  the 
strategic  significance  of  those  two  forts,  while  he  also  ascertained  the  plans  and  prob- 
able movements  of  the  enemy,  and  reported,  on  the  12th  day  of  August,  1861,  to  Gen- 
eral Fremont  at  Saint  Louis. 

In  respect  to  this  service  reference  was  had  by  your  committee  to  a  letter  of  E.  M. 
Kern,  chief  engineer  on  General  Fremont's  staff,  which  reads  as  follows: 

"HEADQUARTERS  WESTERN  DEPARTMENT,  August  11,  1861. 
"Maj.  Gen.  J.  C.  FREMONT: 

"  SIR:  Inclosed  please  find  a  rough  sketch  of  the  States  of  Kentucky  and  Tennes- 
see, containing  the  roads,  rail  and  pikes,  to  and  from  the  principal  points  in  those 
States,  as  well  as  the  camps,  batteries,  masked  and  otherwise,  erected  by  the  enemy. 
Mr.  Charles  De  Arnaud  will  see  you  e^arly  in  the  morning  to  make  more  full  expla- 
nations. 

"E.  M.  KERN." 

De  Arnaud  had  been  offered  by  the  then  acting  governor,  T.  C.  Price,  of  Missouri, 
a  commission  as  colonel  of  the  Second  Missouri  Cavalry,  to  take  effect  so  soon  as  his 
service  as  captain  should  expire,  but  when  the  time  arrived  General  Fremont  sent  for 
him  and  made  him  a  proposition  in  the  following  terms:  "I  will  employ  you  on  such 
confidential  service  that  through  it,  with  your  ability  and  military  education,  you 
will  be  able  to  render  extraordinary  services,  gain  distinction  in  the  service,  and  the 
gratitude  of  the  country."  At  this  time  General  Lyon,  having  failed  to  retreat,  as 
directed  by  General  Fr6mont,  in  case  of  his  being  pressed  by  General  Sterling  Price, 
on  Rolla,  Mo.,  where  he  (Fremont)  had  two  regiments  watching  the  movements  of 
General  Hardee,  who  was  then  in  the  neighborhood  of  Pocahontas,  evidently  marching 
to  intercept  General  Lyon  and  cut  off  his  retreat  in  order  to  attack  him  in  the  rear, 
had,  instead,  attacked  General  Sterling  Price  at  Wilson's  Creek,  where  he  lost  his  life, 
his  army  being  defeated,  thus  creating  a  military  crisis  in  the  Northwest  while  in  the 
Southeast  Generals  Polk  and  Pillow,  with  large  armies,  were  again  threatening  the 


preciating  the  critical  condition  of  affairs,  De  Arnaud  sacrificed  the  offered  commission 
as  a  colonel  of  the  Second  Missouri  Cavalry  and  accepted  the  more  hazardous  position 
urged  upon  him  by  General  Fremont. 

Thereupon  General  Fr6inont  instructed  him  to  visit  all  the  strategic  points  on  the 
Tennessee  and  Cumberland  Rivers,  because,  as  soon  as  he  should  defeat  Sterling  Price, 
he  intended  to  transfer  his  command  in  that  direction,  so  as  to  be  able  to  operate 
against  Memphis,  and  thus  free  the  Mississippi  River.  (This  plan  General  Fre"mont 
substantially  disclosed  to  General  W.  T.  Sherman  when  on  a  visit  to  General  Fie"- 
morit  at  Saint  Louis,  whose  accuitt«t  of  it  can  be  found  in  his  memoirs.)  He  also 
instructed  De  Arnaud  to  watch  the  movements  of  Generals  Polk  and  Pillow.  De 
Arnaud  left  at  once  ;  visited  Kentucky,  Louisiana,  and  Tennessee,  and  arriving  at 
Humboldt,  Tenn.,  on  the  3d  day  of  September,  1861,  found  General  Polk  then  in  com- 
mand of  Department  No.  2,  in  regard  to  whose  plans  he  informed  himself,  learning 
them  to  be  as  follows : 

First.  That  he  was  about  to  make  a  movement  on  Hickman,  Ky.,  on  the  Mississippi 
River,  in  order  to  protect  his  left  from  any  movement  the  opposing  army  might  make 
from  Southeastern  Missouri. 

Second.  That  he  intended  to  move  on  Columbus  Ky.,in  order  to  blockade  the  Mis- 
sissippi River,  and  secure  a  base  of  operations  for  movements  in  Southeastern  Missouri, 


GOLD  MEDAL  TO  CHARLES  DE  ARNAUD.  6 

where,  in  connection  with  Hardee  and  Jeff.  Thompson,  he  would  be  able  to  threaten 
Saint  Louis  from  that  direction,  while  Sterling  Price  would  be  enabled  to  attack  Saint 
Louis  from  the  northwest  and  thus  capture  that  city. 

Third.  To  make  at  the  same  time  a  rapid  movement  on  Paducah,  Ky.,  fortifying 
the  name,  in  order  to  blockade  the  Ohio  River,  and  thus  secure  the  entrance  to  the 
Tennessee  ard  Cumberland  Rivers;  throw  a  large  force  into  Southern  Illinois  and 
attack  Cairo  from  that  place,  thus  scattering  the  Union  forces  and  transferring  the 
war  to  the  Union  States. 

Having  gained  this  information,  De  Arnaud  reasoned  that  if  th,e  Union  forces  could 
capture  Paducah  in  advance  of  the  Confederates  they  could,  with  the  aid  of  our 
.gunboats,  secure  permanent  access  to  the  Tennessee*  and  Cumberland  Rivers,  and 
from  that  place  the  army  could  flank  Columbus,  attack  the  Confederates  in  the  rear, 
force  them  to  abandon  their  positions,  and  thus  frustrate  their  plan  as  to  the  invasion 
of  Southern  Illinois. 

De  Arnaud  during  all  this  time  was  in  constant  danger  of  his  life,  and,  though  tak- 
ing every  possible  precaution  to  convey  an  immediate  report  to  General  Fremont, 
was,  nevertheless,  captured  at  Union  City,  Tenn.,  and  taken  before  the  provost  mar- 
shal, Major  Morgan,  where  he  was  charged  by  a  man  named  Little  with  being  a  Union 
spy,  who  further  said,  "  I  know  him  to  be  a  captain  in  the  Union  Army."  Without 
delay  or  ceremony  whatever  De  Arnaud  was  condemned  to  be  shot,  but  on  taking  an 
appeal  to  General  Polk,  who  was  to  arrive  at  that  place  on  the  same  day,  his  execu- 
tion was  delayed  for  a  few  hours.  While  waiting  General  Folk's  arrival  in  the  office 
of  the  provost,  Little  applied  for  a  pass  to  cross  the  Confederate  lines,  and  his  request, 
coupled  with  the  fact  that  a  man  of  name  similar  to  his  own  was  wanted,  gave  rise 
to  grave  suspicions  as  to  his  own  genuine  character,  and  Major  Morgan,  who  at  once 
ordered  him  to  be  brought  again  before  him.  then  and  there  charged  that  Little  was, 
himself,  a  spy.  Little,  as  quickly  almost  as  thought  itself,  drew  a  large  pistol  and 
shot  Major  Morgan  through  the  eye,  killing  him  instantly,  at  the  same  time  strik- 
ing De  Aruaud  two  severe  blows  with  the  butt  of  his  pistol,  one  on  the  back  of  his 
head,  fracturing  his  skull,  the  other  on  his  left  temple,  badly  injuring  his  ear.  The 
shot  and  blows  were  almost  simultaneous  and  were  unexpected.  De  Arnaud  fell  to 
the  floor  senseless.  (From  the  effect  of  these  wounds  De  Arnaud,  although  treated  by 
the  most  skillful  surgeons  of  Europe,  has  n<it  yet  recovered,  nor  is  he  likely  to. 
General  Morgan,  of  Memphis,  Tenii.,  upon  being  promptly  notified  of  the  sudden 
death  of  his  brother,  the  provost  marshal,  came  on  at  once,  and  upon  meeting  Little, 
who  was  then  under  arrest,  shot  him,  killing  him  instantly.) 

On  regaining  consciousness  De  Arnaud  was  allowed  to  leave  the  room  that  he  might 

fo  to  a  drug  store  and  have  his  wounds  dressed.     While  there,  with  the  aid  of  the 
ruggist,  he  secured  a  horse  and  escaped.     Although   suffering  terribly  with  his 
wounds,  he  rode  the  whole  night  until  he  reached  the  Ohio  River  where  he  was  able 
to  hire  a  boat  in  which  he  was  conveyed  to  Cairo,  111. 

Knowing  that  time  was  of  the  utmost  importance  if  the  contemplated  movements 
of  the  Confederate  army  upon  Paducah  were  to  be  defeated,  and  that  want  of  time 
made  it  impracticable  and  inexpedient  for  him  to  report  personally  to  General  Fr6- 
nioiit,  who  was  then  at  Saint  Louis,  he  at  once  communicated  directly  with  General 
U.  S.  Grant,  who,  but  one  day  before,  had  assumed  command  of  Southeastern  Missouri, 
with  headquarters  at  Cairo,  111. 

On  reaching  General  Grant  he  said  :  "  General,  do  you  know  that  you  are  in  danger 
of  being  surrounded  by  the  enemy,  and  that  they  are  marching  on  Paducah?"  Grant 
answered  :  "No  ;  I  arrived  here  only  yesterday."  De  Arnaud  then  disclosed  the  situ- 
ation to  him,  impressing  upon  him  the  importance  of  an  immediate  movement  for  the 
purpose  of  capturi  ng  Paducah.  General  Grant  at  once  telegraphed  to  General  Fremont 
as  toDe  Arnaud's  reliability  and  authority,  and  shortly  thereafter,  having  received  a 
satisfactory  answer,  turned  to  him  and  said:  "  You  are  right ;  I  will  move  at  once." 
De  Araaud  then  promptly  telegraphed  to  General  Fremont  (as  appears  by  telegrams 
on  file  in  the  War  Department)  as  follows : 

"CAIRO,  September  5,  1861. 
"  Major-General  J.  C.  FREMONT, 

"  Saint  Louis  : 

"Just  arrived  from  Memphis  and  Union  City-,- Tenn.  The  enemy  is  marching  in 
large  force  to  take  Paducah,  on  the  Ohio  River,  to  invade  Southern  Illinois.  Our  oc- 
cupation of  Paducah  will  frustrate  the  enemy's  plans  and  will  secure  for  us  the  Ten- 
nessee River.  Have  communicated  this  to  General  Grant.  He  will  move  at  once.  No 
time  to  lose." 

General  Grant  got  ready  to  move  within  a  few  hours,  and,  arriving  in  Paducah  the 
next  morning,  took  possession  of  the  town,  being  only  about  six  hours  in  advance  of 
the  Confederate  forces,  thereby  not  only  frustrating  'the  plans  of  Generals  Polk  and 
Pillow,  as  De  Arnaud  had  predicted,  but  also  preventing  the  invasion  of  Southern 
Illinois  and  the  transferring  of  the  war  into  the  Union  States. 


4  GOLD  MEDAL  TO  CHARLES  DE  ARNAUD. 

The  following  are  copies  of  some  of  fcbe  original  letters  and  records  on  this  point, 
to  which  reference  was  had  by  your  committee. 

HEADQUARTERS,  DISTRICT  SOUTHEAST  MISSOURI, 

(Cairo,  November  30,  1861. 
IHAS.  DE  ARNAUD  : 
SIR:  In  reply  to  your  request,  and  the  note  from  Major-General  Halleck  presented 
ae  by  yourself,  I  can  state  that  I  took  possession  of  Paducah,  Ky.,  solely  on  informa- 
Lon  given  by  yourself,  and  to  the  effect  that  the  rebels  were  marching  upon  that  city 
idth  a  large  force.     This  information  I  afterwards  had  reason  to  believe  was  fully 
erified ;  first,  because  as  we  approached  the  city  secession  flags  were  flying,  and  the 
itizens  seemed  much  disappointed  that  Southern  troops  expected  by  them  were  not 
a  advance  of  us.     It  was  understood  that  they  would  arrive  that  day.    I  also  under- 
tood  afterwards  that  a  force  of  some  4,000  Confederate  troops  were  actually  on  their 
ray  for  Paducah  when  taken  possession  of  by  my  order.      A  point  through  which 
lany  valuable  supplies  were  obtained  for  the  Southern  army  was  cut  off  by  this  move, 
nd  a  large  quantity  of  provisions,   leather,  &c.,  supposed  to  be  for  the  use  of  the 
outhern  army  captured.     For  the  value,  and  the  use  to  which  these  were  put,  I  re- 
er  you  to  General  Paine,  whom  I  left  in  command.      Only  remaining  in  Paducah  a 
3W  hours,  and  being  busily  engaged  with  other  matters  during  that  time,  I  can  make 
o  estimate  of  the  cash  value  of  the  stores  captured. 
Yours,  &c., 
U.   S.  GRANT, 

Brig.  Gen. 


CAIRO,  ILL.,  January  0,  1862, 
Hon.  A.  LINCOLN, 

President  U.  S.  A.  : 

The  bearer,  Charles  De  Arnaud,  has  to  my  knowledge  rendered  important  services 
to  the  Government.  He,  at  the  risk  of  his  life,  gave  information  which  led  to  our 
capture  of  Paducah,  Ky.,  in  advance!  of  the  rebels  ;  thereby  he  saved  the  country 
thousands  of  lives  and  millions  of  dollars.  I  fully  indorse  his  certificate  of  Maj.  Gen, 
J.  C.  Fremont.  He  is  entitled  to  the  largest  remuneration  the  Government  pays  for 
such  services. 

Respectfully,  &c., 

A.  H.  FOOTE, 

Flag  Officer. 

In  a  document  dated  May  7,  1886,  General  John  B.  Turchin,  referring  to  the  above 
letters  and  war  records  on  this  point,  says: 

"The  above-stated  documents  establish  the  fact  without  a  shadow  of  a  doubt  that 
the  capture  of  Paducah  in  advance  of  the  enemy  was  made  solely  on  the  information 
given  by  Charles  De  Arnaud  ;  that  the  information  was  obtained  at  the  risk  of  his 
me  ;  that  Paducah  was  a  point  of  great  importance,  and  that  its  occupation,  besides 
bringing  large  captures  of  war  supplies  and  material,  saved  the  country  thousands  of 
lives  and  millions  of  dollars.  The  above  statements  of  men  who  were  the  principal 
actors  on  our  side  of  the  war  drama  that  was  at  that  time  being  enacted  in  Western 
Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  and  who  fully  comprehended  the  situation  and  were  able 
to  appreciate  the  important  services  rendered  by  De  Arnaud,  are  of  paramount  im- 
portance. Judging  from  the  military  standpoint,  and  by  subsequent  results  obtained 
on  that  theater  of  war,  the  occupation  of  Paducah  thus  early  gave  us  a  splendid 
basis  of  operation  south  of  the  Ohio  River,  and  in  conjunction  with  the  occupation  of 
Southland,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Cumberland  River,  secured  us  both  those  rivers, 
along  which  our  fleet  and  armies  could  reach  Northern  Alabama  and  Mississippi  and 
the  heart  of  Tennessee.  Through  possession  of  Paducah  a  wedge  was  driven  between 
Columbus  and  Forts  Henry  and  Donelson,  then  occupied  by  the  enemy,  and  it  was 
the  first  important  step  to  the  capture  of  those  forts,  to  the  evacuation  of  Bowling 
Green,  Nashville,  and  Columbus,  and  the  final  driving  of  the  enemy  beyond  Corinth." 

The  great  importance  of  the  capture  of  Paducah  by  the  Union  forces  and  the  great 
Talne  of  De  Arnaud's  services  are  also  maintained  by  General  Fremont,  who  says,  in 
a  communication  dated  April  4,  1886 : 

''His  services  in  connection  with  the  movements  upon  Paducah  were  of  the  first 
importance,  inasmuch  as  the  control  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  depended  upon  the  pos- 
session and  control  of  that  point  and  its  immediate  district." 

It  is  further  shown  by  an  extract  taken  from  a  confidential  dispatch  of  General  G. 
T.  Beauregard  to  the  governors  of  Tennessee,  Alabama,  Mississippi,  and  Louisiana, 
dated  February  21,  1862,  and  published  in  the  book  entitled  "  Military  Operations 
of  General  Beauregard,"  by  Alfred  Roman,  vol.  i,  in  which,  at  page  241.  he  says: 

"I  shall  call  on  General  Van  Dorn  to  unite  his  forces  with  mine,  and  leave  suit- 
able garrison  at  Columbus  with  troops  to  guard  and  hold  my  rear  at  Island  No.  10.  I 


GOLD  MEDAL  TO  CHARLES  DE  ARNAUD.  5 

•would  then  take  the  field  with  at  leasf  40,000  men,  march  on  Paducah,  seize  and  close 
the  mouths  of  the  Tennessee  and  Cumberland  Rivers.  Aided  by  gunboats  I  would 
also  successfully  assail  Cairo  and  threaten,  if  not  indeed  take,  Saint  Louis.  In  this 
way  be  assured  we  may  most  certainly  and  speedily  recover  our  losses  and  insure  the 
defense  of  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi." 

Subsequent  to  the  above  occurrences  and  upon  De  Arnaud's  return  to  Saint  Louis, 
September  6,  after  having  reported  fully  to  General  Fre'mont  in  person,  he  received  a 
telegram  from  Rousseau,  fyom  Louisville,  requesting  him  to  "  come  at  once,  on  very 
important  business,  to  this  place;  General  Anderson  wants  to  see  you." 

General  Fremont,  who  appreciated  the  importance  of  his  going  there  (because  it 
formed  the  left  of  operations  in  the  Southwest  and,  being  unprotected,  required  a  rapid 
movement  of  Generals  Anderson  and  Rousseau  on  Bowling  Green  in  order  to  threaten 
Nashville  and  prevent  the  Confederates  concentrated  at  that  point  either  from  moving 
on  Louisville  or  from  making  use  of  their  railroad  facilities  to  throw  a  large  force 
against  the  Union  forces),  gave  his  consent.  • 

He  left  the  same  evening,  and  on  reaching  Louisville  found  great  anxiety  prevail- 
ing among  the  officers  in  command,  who  were  hourly  expecting  an  attack  upon  and 
feared  the  capture  of  Louisville  by  the  Confederates.  On  being  introduced  by  Gen- 
eral Rousseau  to  General  Anderson,  De  Arnaud  explained  to  him  the  military  situation 
of  his  and  General  Fremont's  departments,  but  found  that  he  (Anderson)  was  unwill- 
ing to  move  with  a  less  force  than  from  40,000  to  50,000  men,  and  stated  to  De  Arnaud 
that  "political  complications  controlling  at  that  time  would  not  permit"  him,  if  he 
had  the  men,  to  move  on  Bowling  Green,  as  De  Arnaud  suggested. 

De  Arnaud  telegraphed  General  Fremont  of  this  refusal,  whereupon  General  Fre"- 
mont  telegraphed  to  President  Lincoln  to  "order  Rousseau  to  move  with  5,000  men 
on  to  Bowling  Green,"  also  informing  the  President  that  "  it  is  of  the  utmost  impor- 
tance for  my  military  movements  to  give  me  (Fre'mont)  control  of  that  department." 
This  was  on  the  8th  of  September,  1861,  and  Bowling  Green  could  have  been  taken 
without  the  firing  of  a  gun  had  the  suggestions  of  General  Fre'mont  and  De  Arnaud 
been  acted  upon. 

On  this  point  General  Lovell  H.  Rousseau,  in,  his  certificate,  uses  the  following  lan- 
guage : 

"  He  (Charles  De  Arnaud)  gave  me  full  and  accurate  information  of  affairs  at  Camps 
Boone,  Cheatham,  and  Trousdale,  Tennessee,  and  from  this  I  ascertained  that  I  could 
easily  have  destroyed  or  dispersed  the  forces  at  those  camps,  and  asked  permission  of 
General  Anderson  to  do  so  in  September,  1861,  but  was  not  permitted  to  do  it.  Sub- 
sequent information,  perfectly  reliable,  confirmed  the  result  of  De  Arnaud's  informa- 
tion." 

Having  received  reliable  information  that  General  Pillow,  with  7,000  men  and  ar- 
tillery, was  about  to  attempt  the  recapture  of  Paducah,  also  that  he  had  projected  a 
movement  on  the  Nashville  and  Louisville  Railroad  in  order  to  plant  their  flag  on  the 
Ohio  River  (in  order  to  carry  out  their  original  plan,  which  was  frustrated  by  the 
former  capture  of  Paducah),  De  Arnaud  on  the  9th  day  of  September,  1861,  afc  2 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  went  to  General  Rousseau  and  inquired  whether  the  operator 
at  Louisville  was  reliable,  as  he  intended  to  telegraph  to  the  commanding  general, 
J.  C.  Fre'mont,  news  of  the  greatest  importance.  General  Rousseau  replied,  "The 
only  reliable  operator  I  know  of  is  at  New  Albany,  Ind.,"  where  De  Arnaud  went  and 
sent  the  following  telegram  : 

"  NEW  ALBANY,  September  9,  1861. 
"Maj.  Gen.  J.  C.  FREMONT: 

"  Pillow  is  marching  upon  Paducah  with  about  7,000  men  and  artillery,  Look  out 
for  them.  I  have  this  news  from  a  Tennessee  officer  at  Louisville.  The  Tennessee- 
ans  are  going  to  make  a  forward  movement  to-night  or  to-morrow  to  Kentucky  by 
the  Nashville  and  Louisville  Railroad.  This  news  is  reliable.  I  have  asked  the  sur- 
veyor of  Louisville  not  to  let  the  freight  train  pass  because  the  enemy  will  take  pos- 
session of  it  on  the  Tennessee  line  and  use  it  for  transporting.  This  is  all  reliable. 
I  do  not  know  whether  the  surveyor  will  stop  the  train.  Heard  all  about  the  enemy 
on  the  other  side.  So  advise  me  or  I  shall  go  to  Saint  Louis  or  travel  further.  An- 
swer immediately." 

General  Fremont  on  the  receipt  thereof  telegraphed  at  once  to  General  U.  S.  Grant4 
at  Cairo,  111.,  as  follows: 

"  HEADQUARTERS,  September  9,  1861. 
"  Brig.  Gen.  U.  S.  GRANT,  Cairo  : 

"Has  General  Smith  gone  to  Paducah  I  I  am  credibly  informed  from  Louisville 
that  Pillow,  with  7,000  men  and  artillery  ,  is  marching  on  Paducah,  also  that  Tennes- 
seeans  are  going  to  make  a  forward  movement  to-night  or  to-morrow  to  Kentucky. 
Has  the  re-enforcement  from  Saint  Louis  reached  Cairo  ?  Inform  General  Smith  at 


6  GOLD    MEDAL    TO  ,CHARLES    DE    ARNAUD. 

Paducah  that  I  direct  him  to  place  a  battery  at  marine  hospital  immediately  and 
the  other  on  heights  near  Cross  Creek,  and  prepare  for  forward  movements  towards 
Mayfield  as  soon  as  there-enforcements  arrive. 

"J.  C.  FREMONT,  Commanding." 

At  the  same  time  General  Fre'mont  ordered  General  Grant  to  make  a  strong  demon- 
stration on  Columbus  and  engage  the  enemy  there,  in  order  to  draw  their  attention 
from  the  real  purpose,  which  was  to  reinforce  Paducah,  which  resulted  in  the  Union 
fleet's  bombarding  Lucas  Bend,  on  the  Mississippi  Riven.,  on  the  10th  day  of  Septem- 
ber, thus  securing  a  permanent  access  to  the  Tennessee  and  Cumberland  rivers  and 
the  occupation  of  Srnithland  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

General  John  B.  Turchin,  in  the  document  hereinbefore  referred  to,  speaks  of  this 
matter  as  follows: 

"The  above  shows  that  General  Fremont  believed  the  reports  of  De  Arnaud  to  be 
perfectly  trustworthy.  Curious  enough,  that  the  information  given  by  De  Arnaud 
in  regard  to  7,000  of  the  eiiemy  moving  on  Paducah  is  corroborated  by  a  dispatch 
found  in  'The  Life  of  Albert  Sidney  Johnston,  by  his  son.'  The  dispatch  is  dated 
Nashville,  Tenn.,  September  16,  1861,  and  is  addressed  to  his  excellency,  Jefferson 
Davis.  In  it,  among  other  things,  this  statement  occurs:  'I  have  determined  to  oc- 
cupy Bowling  Green  at  once.  Information  I  believe  to  be  reliable  has  just  been  re- 
ceived that  General  Polk  has  advanced  on  Paducah  with  7,500  men.'  From  this  can 
be  judged  how  accurate  and  reliable  information  had  De  Arnaud  given  in  regard  to 
the  doings  of  the  enemy  to  General  Fremont,*  and  how  important  his  services  were  to 
the  Government.  After  the  dispatch  of  De  Arnaud  of  September  9,  Paducah  was 
largely  re-enforced;  Smithlaud,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Cumberland  River,  was  occupied 
and  fortified  and  General  C.  F.  Smith  put  in  command  of  troops  at  both  places  ;  and 
for  these  reasons  the  projected  attack  of  the  enemy  on  'Paducah  for  its  recapture' 
was  abandoned.  Thus  the  timely  information  of  De  Arnaud  saved  Paducah  from  being 
'recaptured'  by  the  enemy,  a  service  extremely  meritorious  and  highly  important." 

Upon  receiving  a  telegram  from  General  Fre'mont  to  go  further,  De  Arnaud  went  to 
Clarksville,  Ky.,  on  the  Cumberland  River,  and  on  his  return  to  Louisville  on  or 
about  the  14th  day  of  September  (having  found  that  by  reason  of  General  Anderson's 
refusal  to  move  on  the  8th  day  of  Se^e"luer  °n  to  Bowling  Green,  the  Confederates 
had  occupied  that  place  and  had  their  advance  guard  already  in  Elizabethtown, 
threatening  Louisville),  visited  the  headquarters  of  General  Rousseau,  who  assured 
him  that  General  Anderson  had  changed  his  opinion  and  had  expressed  his  entire  con- 
fidence in  the  value  of  his  (De  Arnaud's.)  suggestions  and  asked  him  to  go  with  him  to 
see  him  (Anderson).  They  called  upon  him  together,  and  found  him  in  a  state  of 
great  agitation  on  account  of  threatening  news  that  he  had  received,  which  was 
causing  him  to  get  ready  to  abandon  the  place.  He  showed  De  Arnaud  various  tele- 
grams, one  from  President  Guatreeyf  of  the  Nashville  and  Louisville  Railroad,  to  the 
effect  that  his  agent  informed  him  that  38,000  Confederates  were  marching  on  Louis- 
ville and  that  they  had  burned  the  bridge  over  Noliu  Creek. 

He  was  assured  by  De  Aruaud  of  the  unreliability  of  his  information,  and  both  he 
and  General  Rousseau  begged  De  Arnaud  to  ascertain  for  them  the  true  situation,  and 
said:  "  For  this  service,  at  this  critical  period,  the  country  will  never  forget  you." 
Sick  as  de  Aruaud  was  at  the  time,  he  yet  purchased  a  horse  and  left  at  once  for  Eliza- 
bethtown, Ky.,  where  he  learned  that  instead  of  38,000  men,  as  reported  to  General 
Anderson,  there  were  only  a  few  hundred  men  at  Elizabethtown,  only  about  4,000  men 
under  General  Buckner  at  Bowling  Green,  and  that  General  Zollicoffer  had  entered 
Kentucky  and  was  at  Somerset,  evidently  marching  on  Lexington. 

Under  the  most  trying  circumstances,  laboring  under  the  physical  disability  inci- 
dent to  his  wounds,  De  Arnaud  returned  to  Louisville  and  advised  General  Anderson 
to  move  at  once  with  his  superior  force  to  engage  General  Buckner  at  Bowling  Green. 
He  replied  that  it  would  be  done  as  soon  as  he  could  "  get  permission  from  the  leg- 
islature to  protect  the  State."  General  Rousseau  objected  to  this  delay,  and  finally 
induced  him  to  move  as  far  as  Lebanon  Junction.  De  Aruaud  then  left  for  a  thorough 
general  reconnaissance  of  the  entire  Confederate  right,  visiting  Somerset,  Ky.,  Cumber- 
land Gap,  Knoxville,  Chattanooga,  Nashville,  traversing  the  interior  of  Tennessee  un- 
til he  reached  Paducah  on  the  30th  of  September,  1861,  and  Henderson,  Ky.,  on  the  2d 
of  October,  where  he  sent  the  folio  vriiig  telegram  : 

' c General  J.  C.  FREMONT: 

"Arrived  from  Tennessee  State  line  this  morning.  Enemy  took  Hopkinsville  on  the 
31st  last  mouth  with  three  regiments.  Their  destination  is  Smithlaud,  Ky.,  after 
they  get  reinforcements  from  secessionists  of  neighboring  counties.  Have  ascertained 
positively  the  strength  of  General  Albert  Sidney  Johnston's  army  and  its  situation 
about  Columbus.  They  will  not  attack  for  about  a  week,  but  be  on  the  lookout  for 
them  at  Paducah  and  Owensborough.  I  will  go  further  to-day.  Answer." 

The  answer  was:  "Come  to  my  headquarters  at  once."  On  his  arrival  at  the 
headquarters  of  General  Fre'mont,  De  Arnaud  gave  him  a  statement,  in  detail,  of  this 


GOLD  MEDAL  TO  CHAELES  DE  ARNAUD.  7 

expedition,  which  had  occupied  him  nearly  four  weeks  within  the  lines  of  the  enemy, 
informing  him  as  to  the  movements  and  probable  plans  of  Albert  Sidney  Johnston, 
relating  in  effect  that  General  Johnston  when  he  assumed  the  command  of  the  Con- 
federate army  in  the  West,  had  expected  to  find  a  large,  well-organized  army,  and 
being  assured  by  General  Polk  that  he  (Polk)  would  "  recapture  Paducah  (thus  se- 
curing for  the  Confederates  the  Tennessee  and  Cumberland  Rivers)  and  would  have 
at  his  disposal  at  least  120,000  troops  well  organized  and  armed  to  take  the  field," 
gave  orders,  immediately  on  his  arrival,  to  General  Buckner  to  advance  on  Bowling 
Green,  and  to  General  Zollicoffer  to  advance  on  Somerset  and  Lexington.  But  when 
he  found  that  General  Folk's  promise  of  a  movement  on  Paducah  was  not  successful, 
and  finding  at  his  command  neither  the  men  nor  the  arms  he  had  expected,  had 
changed  his  whole  plan  of  operations  from  the  often  si  veto  the  defensive,  ordering  the 
advance  of  General  Zollicoffer  to  retreat  from  Somerset  to  Mill  Spring  in  order  to 
cover  his  right,  then  threatened  both  by  General  George  H.  Thomas  from  East  Ken- 
tucky, and  by  General  Anderson  along  the  Nashville  and  Louisville  Railroad,  while 
his  center  was  threatened,  by  frequent  demonstrations  up  the  Cumberland  River,  and 
his  left,  which  rested  on  Columbus,  was  isolated  and  kept  from  co  operating  with  him 
by  the  Union  forces  concentrated  at  Paducah  under  General  Charles  F.  Smith.  The 
frequent  demonstrations  of  the  Union  army  on  the  Tennessee  River,  threatening  the 
rear  of  General  Polk,  at  Columbus,  made  that  point  not  tenable,  and  had  caused  him 
to  abandon  taking  the  offensive  as  he  had  intended,  and  had  forced  him  into  South- 
eastern Missouri  in  order  to  co-operate  with  General  Sterling  Price,  then  in  the 
northwest. 

De  Arnaud  also  informed  General  Fremont  that  Sterling  Price,  having  not  more 
than  11,000  men,  badly  armed  and  poorly  clad,  was  in  full  retreat  into  Arkansas,  fall- 
ing back  in  order  to  form  a  junction  with  the  forces  of  General  MeCullongh,  who, 
with  from  4,000  to  5,000  men,  was  then  on  the  Arkansas  border  refusing  to  enter  Mis- 
souri as  requested  by  General  Sterling  Price,  so  that  their  united  forces  would  not 
amount  to  over  15,000  men,  poorly  armed  and  olad  and  almost  disorganized.  There- 
upon General  Fremont  stated  that  news  had  reached  him  from  Washington  that  Gen- 
erals Sidney  Johnston  and  Hardee  had  already  ^nited  forces  with  Generals  Price  and 
McCullough,  aggregating  an  army  of  60,000  mei  i  and  asked  De  Arnaud,  "What have 
you  to  say  to  that?"  He  replied,  "Such  news  must  have  reached  you  for  a'purpose 
from  the  'sources  of  the  enemy,  for  if  all  those  generals  named  were  to  concentrate 
all  the  troops  they  have  in  Tennessee  and  Kentucky,  ready  to  take  the  field,  they  can- 
not gather  60,000'  men."  General  Fremont  replied,  "  I  think  you  are  right.  I  will 
follow  up  Price  and  McCullough,  wherever  I  may  find  them,  until  I  destroy  them." 
He  at  the  same  time  gave  De  Arnaud  instructions  to  keep  Generals  U.  S.  Grant  and 
Charles  F.  Smith  and  Commodore  Foote  wrell  informed  of  all  the  movements  the 
Confederates  might  attempt  to  make  in  Southeastern  Missouri. 

De  Arnaud  at  once  left  for  Cairo,  where  he  had  a  consultation  with  General  Grant 
and  Commodore  Foote,  relating  to  General  Fr6mont7s  determination,  during  which 
it  was  agreed  that  a  gunboat  with  500  men  should  be  sent  up  the  Tennessee  River, 
thus  making  a  strong  demonstration  on  Fort  Henry,  a  circumstance  which  would  be 
interpreted  by  the  enemy  to  mean  a  united  attack  upon  that  place,  and  would  result 
in  arresting  any  contemplated  movement  of  General  Polk's  in  Southeastern  Missouri. 
De  Arnaud  then  furnished  General  Grant  and  Commodore  Foote  with  complete  maps, 
made  by  himself,  of  Forts  Henry  and  Donelson,  which  gave  them  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  the  situation  and  surroundings  of  those  places,  after  which  he  left  for  Paducah 
to  induce  General  Smith  to  move  on  Union  City.,  Another  gunboat  was  sent  up  the 
Cumberland  River  as  far  as  Eddyville,  engaging  the  enemy  at  Saratoga  Springs  and 
capturing  a  large  amount  of  stores. 

While  entering  upon  anotherreconnaissance  and  approaching  Aurora,  Tenn.,  while 
riding  at  full  gallop,  De  Arnaud  was  hailed  by  some  bushwhackers,  but,  failing  to 
hear  them,  was  fired  upon,  having  his  horse  killed  under  him,  and  received  several 
painful  wounds  in  his  left  leg.  which,  in  connection  with  the  other  wounds  received 
on  the  4th  day  of  September  at  Union  City,  Tenn.,  so  shattered  his  health  that  he  was 
incapacitated  for  further  service.  From  these  wounds  he  has  not  yet  recovered.  On 
his  return  to  Cairo,  shortly  thereafter,  he  was  informed  by  General  Grant  that  Gen- 
eral John  C.  Fremont  had  been  superseded  by  -General  Halleck,  who  was  then  in 
con  rnand,  and  thus,  unfortunately  for  him,  as  abruptly,  was  terminated  De  Arnaud's 
connection  with  the  Western  Department  and  the  Army. 

The  neglect  to  give  proper  attention  to  his  wounds  soon  made  itself  severely  felt ; 
and,  shattered  in  mind  as  broken  in  health,  De  Arnaud  sailed  for  Europe,  where  he 
underwent  prolonged  treatment  by  its  most  skillful  physicians  and  surgeons,  which 
was  continued  until  his  return  to  this  country  in  June,  1885. 

In  view  of  the  services  herein  set  forth,  which  were  conspicuously  gallant  and  mer- 
itorious, and  rendered  at  a  very  critical  period  of  the  war,  the  committee  is  asked  to 
report  the  resolution  favorably  and  to  recommend  its  adoption. 

WM.  G.  RAINES, 
Attorney  for  Capt.  Charles  De  Arnaud. 


8  GOLD  MEDAL  TO   HARLES  DE  ARNAUD. 

Capt.  CHARLES  DE  ARNAUD  : 

CAPTAIN:  At  your  request  I  have  i^ad  the  statements  intended  to  accompany 
House  joint  resolution  No.  223. 

I  find  that  the  statements  therein  ma.  3  concerning  the  confidential  duty  intrusted 
to  you  by  me  while  in  command  of  the  »Vestern  Department  are  true. 

The  manner  in  which  you  executed  -,'iat  duty  was  entirely  satisfactory  to  me,  and 
the  information  furnished  by  you  concerning  the  j>osition  and  movements  of  the  en- 
emy was  of  extraordinary  and  deciding  value  to  me  in  the  direction  of  my  movements. 

As  I  have  already  stated  elsewhere,  the  services  rendered  by  you  were  of  the  first 
importance  at  a  critical  period  of  the  .var  in  the  Mississippi  Valley,  which  involved 
the  safetv  of  the  Western  States,  and  perhaps  the  issue  of  the  war. 

J.  C.  FRfiMONT, 
Late  Major-General,  V.  S.  A. 


TREASURY  DEPARTMENT,  REGISTER'S  OFFICE, 

Washington,  D.  C.,  January  24,  1887. 

SIR:  I  have  read  the  notes  left  witlvme  by  Mr.  Raines,  giving  an  account  of  Capt. 
Charles  De  Arnaud's  services  to  the  L'Moii  in  the  summer  and  autumn  of  1861. 
He  requested  my  opinion,  as  an  army  commander,  of  the  character  of  those  services. 
I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  Captain  De  Arnaud's  were  very  special  and  of 
extraordinary  military  value.     They  ;tre  the  work  of  a  high  engineer  officer,  of  rare 
perspicacity  in  judging  of  the  strategic  value  of  points  and  movements. 

Very  few  general  officers  even  have  rendered  services  more  opportune  or  more  im- 
portant to  our  country.  Money  cannot  compensate  or  measure  the  value  of  such  serv- 
ices. 

I  have  had  ample  experience  in  th-  -^mployment  of  secret  service  men  or  spies,  and 
paid  them  all  prices,  from  $5,000  dou  awards,  for  a  single  work.  But  Captain  De  Ar- 
naud's services  have  none  of  the  qua  'i  ties  of  a  spy  or  secret  service  man,  save  in  the 
perils  incurred  in  his  daring  search  tor  the  military  facts,  to  be  used  in  guiding  the 
emotion  of  a  commanding  geiu'T-.l. 

If  he  does  not  deserve  a  medal,  lu  '^-dy  deserved  one. 
Very  truly,  yours, 

W.  S.  ROSECRANS. 
Hon.  WM.  G.  STAHLNECKER,  M.  C. 

House  of  Representatives. 


